Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a 100% fatal disease that impacts all members of the cervid family (deer, elk, moose, caribou). CWD has been detected in wild cervids in most western states. Early detection is critical to preventing the spread of CWD in Oregon. State and Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) wildlife managers are collecting samples from harvested cervids for CWD testing and ask CTUIR hunters to have their animals tested to support the effort.
Sampling typically takes less than 15 minutes. A biologist will collect lymph nodes, an incisor, and/or a portion of the brainstem. Samples are then sent to a lab for testing. For CWD testing in the Umatilla Indian Reservation area contact:
Andrew Wildbill (CTUIR Wildlife Program Manager): 541-740-3436
Iosefa Taula (CTUIR Wildlife Program Technician): 541-969-3853
Andrew Rosenberg (ODFW Pendleton District Wildlife Biologist): 541-288-4390
Gabe Mcnassar (ODFW Pendleton Assistant Wildlife Biologist): 541-975-0589
Recommendations for Interstate Movement of Cervid Parts
The CTUIR Wildlife Program recommends minimizing the interstate transport of all cervid (deer, elk, moose) parts. CWD has now been detected in most western U.S. states and Canadian provinces in wild cervids. State law and emergency regulations now prohibit the interstate movement of:
1) Any part of a cervid with head or spinal column attached
2) Uncleaned skull caps or antlers (all brain tissue and meat must be removed)
3) Entire skulls that have not been processed to remove all meat and brain tissue
CTUIR members hunting outside of Oregon are allowed to return to the UIR with:
• Meat that is cut and wrapped (commercially or privately)
• Boned out meat
• Quarters or other portions without spinal column or head attached
• Hides, capes, canine teeth (ivories), without head attached
• Skull plates with antlers attached that have been cleaned of all brain tissue and meat
• Entire skulls that have been processed to remove all meat and brain tissue
• Finished taxidermy
The best disposal practice is to leave as much of the non-meat portion of the carcass in the field where it was harvested. Otherwise, carcass parts that include the spinal column and/or skull can be disposed of following the state and local regulations where you are hunting. Some states have landfills that will accept these carcass parts.
For further information visit: cwd-info.org
About CWD
While there is currently no evidence that CWD is transmissible to humans, public health officials recommend that human exposure to the CWD agent be avoided as they continue to research the disease. Accordingly, hunters are advised not to eat meat from animals known to be infected with CWD.
CWD is a type of disease known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathy. The infectious agent of CWD is a misfolded protein called a prion. CWD is spread through animal-to-animal contact, but also by animal contact with infected feces, urine, soil or plant material.
Once present in the environment, it is extremely hard or impossible to remove. To prevent the spread of CWD, it is critically important to prevent contamination of wildlife and wildlife habitat in areas where CWD has not been detected. Therefore, movement of CWD infected materials from areas of CWD infection to areas where it has not been detected is a major concern.
It is important to note that the vast majority of free-ranging cervids infected with CWD appear completely normal. This is because there is an extended incubation period (ranging between 12 and 30+ months) between infection and the onset of clinical disease. In most cases, animals with CWD show no visible signs of the disease for all but the last few months of the disease process. Thus, the majority of infected animals are impossible to outwardly distinguish from uninfected animals. Because CWD affects the central nervous system of infected animals, other causes of mortality (predators, vehicle collisions, other diseases) often remove infected animals from the population before outward signs of the disease become apparent. This is one reason that sick or dead animals with typical signs of CWD are found only occasionally by hunters, wildlife watchers, and the public.
